The “Workampers” are people who have “Gone mobile – combining work and travel.” One of them is Joe T. Kaufhold, a Columbia native who now lives in Virginia, has done workamping off and on since 2008 with his wife, Ruth.” – MyColumbiaNews

We’re absolutely giddy about the splendiferous day that the first day of daylight saving time was! Who could not be amazed with the warm glow of the sun; the signs of the newness of spring and the call to dig in the dirt!

Spring signs abound as the flowers, trees and green grass lurch from the slumber of winter. Even though this past winter has been very gentle by standards, and even though we have been pelted with (and yet may be) crazy, debilitating late March blizzards, yesterday was a spring frolic to treasure. The scintillation of daylight at 7:00 in the evening inspired these photos.

“Aspirin is a historical marvel. It’s been manufactured for more than a century and is still in widespread use. No other medication can claim as many different narratives and uses as this analgesic – it’s been known as:

A traditional medicine – aspirin-like treatments, based on salicylate, have been derived from plants such as willows for millennia

An international blockbuster – at the turn of the twentieth century, aspirin was one of the few effective treatments for fever and pain, and was wildly popular (and profitable)

A modern wonder-drug – aspirin has been resurrected as an important and inexpensive medication for the prevention and treatment of heart attacks and strokes.

“And there are many fascinating tales of intrigue, international politics and corporate espionage in aspirin’s history.

“German affiliates undermined the manufacture of explosives in the United States during World War I by cornering the market of a key ingredient, under the guise of aspirin production. And Germany was forced to hand over the trademark ‘Aspirin’ as part of war reparations in the Treaty of Versailles.

“In the modern context, it is commonly believed that once individuals reach a certain age, it’s wise to take “an aspirin a day” for good health.

“This narrative starts in 1948 with Dr Lawrence Craven, a general practitioner, in California. He had observed that aspirin was a mild blood thinner and reasoned that it might be able to prevent heart attacks.